Grain...

The scenery outside of the carriage passed by at a rapid pace as the four women hurtled in the general direction of what Alice called “Her Majesty’s Secret Conclave”. Amaretto turned back to Alice and then said, “Precisely what is that supposed to mean?”

Alice looked over at Amaretto sourly and said, “It means that we are going to where even the queen fears to tread.”

Katherine snorted, “The Queen fears to tread there only because she is in bed and is being accosted by heavens knows what illness.”

Alice giggled. “It has to be worse than the common cold, but this isn’t the queen who had the problem with the horses?”

Katherine threw a dirty look at Amaretto. Amaretto continued to giggle. Alice shook her head and said, “I don’t know what you are talking about, but she took ill the last time she was out. They called the local priesthood, but they were able to do nothing. Mother Chime and her lackeys have been taking care of her ever since. All we hear about now are progress reports on the queen’s health and the occasional wave from Buckton Palace’s balconies. She rarely if ever comes out into public and now the only time we hear from her is when she is issuing edicts and proclamations, and even those come from Mother Chime’s sainted lips.” Alice had a bitter expression on her face and Amaretto was sure that if Alice had the chance, she would strangle the woman.

“So then what exactly is Mother Chime?” Amaretto looked at Alice who refused to answer and the carriage continued to hustle on down the street, turning at a round-about. As they came out of the round-about, Johanna stared at the passing scenery and then tapped the top of the cab with a loud thump.

“Head towards Ol’ Henry. We have to go the Cloisters.” As usual, there was no inflection in the woman’s voice.

The cabbie heard differently though and called back through the top. “Are you sure? You’re not thinking of the Westminster Cloister are ya?” The man’s accent was lost a little to the wind that was blowing through the window, and it made it hard for Amaretto to hear what was going on. Johanna was about to respond when Katherine thumped the top of the cabbie and said, “No, we want the Cloister of Sciences. Hurry up now, and be quick!”

The driver replied with a muffled yelp and a cracking of his whip to urge his horses on faster. The carriage, which had been swaying before, now began to pitch even while it rolled along the cobblestone streets of the old Londinium of the Empire of New Machina.

Katherine smiled at Johanna and then said, “Sometimes you just have to spur them onwards to greater and more inspiring heights. Other times, you just need to be firm as to where you are going.”

Johanna stared at Katherine for a moment and then nodded her head in the affirmative as if she had grasped the situation. Amaretto just looked at the two of them as if they were both a little crazy. Amaretto then frowned and looked out the window. She waited for a moment and then began speaking in her mind again, searching for Tempus.

“Tempus,” she thought. When nothing responded, she hissed it into every corner of her mind. “Tempus!”

There was a grumbling in response and she heard the man say rather irritable into her head, “Yea, what is it?”

“That was a little out of character,” Amaretto said in response.

“Well I was trying to figure out a way to help you. However, I am glad to say that I might have figured out how I might be able to help you.”

“Do tell,” Amaretto thought acidly. “Does your plan by any chance involve winged Monkeys?”

Amaretto could tell that Tempus caught onto the reference, but he refused to acknowledge it. “I believe that if I am given enough time, I can tap into the power source of the IronMen and use them to our advantage.”

This made Amaretto sit up. Katherine, who had ceased to pay attention while Johanna and Alice plotted and planned about what to do, turned her attention to her niece. It was about at this time that Amaretto was sure that they were going to get themselves into trouble that they would not be able to get out of. She smiled at her aunt as if nothing was wrong, but Katherine stared at her suspiciously.

Alice finally huffed, obviously tired of arguing with a woman who could eternally keep her cool. “I want to know what it is that we are going to do when we get there. There is no way that we will be getting past the IronMen. How can one be stealthy in petticoats?”

Johanna nodded her head in agreement. “We would have to somehow get into the Cloister and hope that we aren’t killed.”
Amaretto perked up at this. “Why exactly do you call it a Cloister? Isn’t that where you keep nuns?”

Katherine nodded her head and then said, “It is the correct term for the word, but this word is also one of those places that had been converted. The Cloister of Science is what the building next to the Parliamentary building is called. It is where the realm houses all the scientists that work on what Mother Chime wants them to work on.”

Amaretto raised her eyebrows at what her aunt said and then pursed her lips. “How do you know all of that Aunt Katherine?” She tried to make her voice saccharine sweet. Katherine simply smiled at her.

“When one travels, it pays to know much about your surroundings and to know where you are as well.”

Amaretto narrowed her eyes, but Tempus spoke in her head. “It’s all right, I told her a little bit about the area and where you all are, but she has actually been to this dimension once before on her travels.” Amaretto continued to smile at her aunt and Katherine looked smugly out of the window.

She went back to the conversation in her head. “Tempus, in what we are wearing, we obviously can’t try to steal anything. On top of that, as soon as we enter, because Alice and Johanna are criminals of the state, everyone will be arrested on the spot. What exactly is your plan? It’s time you tell me and stop beating around the bush!”

“Funny you should say that,” Tempus replied dryly. “I know exactly what it is that we are going to do and on top of that, I am going to make sure that you tell everyone as well.”

Amaretto sighed and then thought, “Finally. Lay it on me.”

“I’m going to use the ring as an electromagnetic pulse to try to disrupt the area and,” Amaretto cut Tempus off at this.

“Tempus, they all run on steam. Let me spell that for you, S-T-E-A-M. How is an EMP going to affect them?”

Tempus sighed and then said, “Remember how I said that the Stone of Communication is actually a hiding place for the first coordinate? Well, it is giving off an electromagnetic signal which the being in question is using here in the city. Once I disrupt that, I am more than sure that it will be easier to get to the source, which I have a strong suspicion is this Mother Chime that everyone seems to be talking about.”

“How do you know about Mother Chime? It seems like she has been here for such a short time to have ingratiated herself so well into society…” Amaretto was a little worried and it played in her voice as well.

Tempus said immediately, “Well, you can ask your aunt actually about all the other things, but do tell her what it is that I am going to do. However, since the plan is also going to involve Alice and Johanna, I need to you to be a little savvy on the technological speak that you use in front of them.”

Amaretto understood. “Got it. So I just have to pretend that I am using magic then.”

Tempus snickered in the back of her head. “Actually, yes.”

Grain...

The carriage continued to bump along grimly until suddenly, Amaretto heard a chime in her head. She looked up to Katherine who held her gaze and shook her head sternly.

"All right then! I think I have something," Tempus said into her mind directly. She could hear a slight tinny echo and buzz behind his voice.

"Is the connection alright Tempus," she thought.

"Yes, yes, everything is alright. Do not worry too greatly about it. As I was saying, I think I have figured out a way to get at the stone, but obviously you will have to do it without me. Here's what I want you to tell everyone else..."

"Wait Tempus, how do we know if this will work?"

Tempus huffed in her mind and in his quaint accent, he said, "If you think that I didn't check it all then you are sadly mistaken."

"Well you weren't sure if we were even going to survive the jump when you sent us to the Water Mirror," Amaretto thought acidly.

"That was a mistake," Tempus said.

"Yes, a mistake that almost cost us our lives."

"Nothing happened to you in Monde Cruex though," Tempus said in response a little agitated.

"Yes, nothing happened," thought Amaretto bitterly into her mind and at the ring. "Except now I am in another world that I am not from, trying to get to the one person who knows how to get me home. I refuse to believe that this was not a giant mistake, but still, you were a part of making this mistake. So if you have another way to get us out of here, it better work, or I will make sure that you won't have any more time anymore."

Tempus was silent and then spoke directly into Amaretto's head once more. "Yes. I understand."

"Good, now what is this plan of yours?"

Tempus began to speak with a rapid fire pace. "Well, taking into account that you are within the Great Machine Empire... I have figured that the anomaly is actually the Stone of Communication itself. The whole situation makes no sense. The stone was never supposed to be found by anyone in the first place. It was merely supposed to be a marker for the way to the Sand Mirror."

"That's great Tempus, but what does this have to do with,"

"Tut tut, don't interrupt me! I'm getting to it. As the stone itself is actually just supposed to hold a coordinate. However, because of where it is hidden within time, it emits a magnetic pulse so that if there is a need to, we can find it. I consider it a fail-safe."

Amaretto grimaced as they passed by another crossroad where she noticed an IronMan on the street. He was still dressed in a red cape, and Amaretto slunk into her seat as they passed by. She murmured to Tempus in her mind, "So what about this fail-safe? What does this magnetic pulse do?"

"Like I said, it allows us to track down and find the object that holds the coordinate if there is ever a need to get to the Sand Mirror and all we are supposed to do is get them to the Hourglass that you are currently wearing. Once all three coordinates are placed in, then we have a clear shot to the Sand Mirror. However, because it emits a magnetic pulse, there is a chance that other things are able to read and hear said magnetic pulse and follow it to where it is supposed to be."

Amaretto furrowed her brow. "Wait, are you saying that something else followed this magnetic pulse?"

"That is sadly exactly what I am saying." At that moment, Amaretto was tapped on the shoulder by her aunt. Katherine left her hand on the shoulder. Amaretto looked at Katherine. Katherine's eyes narrowed.

"Is everything alright?" Katherine's voice was concerned and she looked a little worried.


Amaretto smiled. "Everything is going to plan."

Katherine raised an eyebrow and then settled back into her own side of the carriage. "Well then, I won't say any more."

Amaretto nodded her head.

Grain...

Amaretto looked at the ring that was on her finger. "That was a little useless wasn't it." She had a grumpy expression on her face.

Katherine frowned. "I'm trying here. I'm so sorry Amaretto. I didn't mean for this to get this far out of hand though."

Amaretto smiled wanly. "It's okay. I mean, what else could I get for this but a lot of fun, right?"

Katherine tittered a moment and then turned around, looking at the other two women. "We need to get that coordinate stone."

Amaretto sighed. "I still don't think that I understand though."

Katherine shrugged. "What is there to understand? The only way to get you back home is by asking La Sorcere. The only way to get to the right half of her is to find the three coordinate stones and then we can get to the Sand Mirror, and then we can finally get home."

Amaretto looked back at Alice and Johanna. They had stopped arguing with each other and then looked her way. "I think the both of them are done though." Amaretto finished speaking in a whisper and it turned out that she was right. Johanna followed behind Alice as they both walked to the travelers.

Alice spoke first. "We have to go to the Tower. There is no way around it. We have to get back the Stone of Communication."

Amaretto looked at Alice suspiciously. "What is so important about this stone? Why do you need it back so badly? I know you said you can speak with the spirits with it, but isn't there another way to do so?"

Alice shook her head. "There might have been at one time, but now, there is not other way." She looked to Johanna and bit her lip. Johanna nodded her own head in return.

"Perhaps it would be better if I were to explain about my situation," said Johanna. Her voice was rather low and if Amaretto strained herself enough, she could almost imagine the woman as being sorrowful rather than a robot.

Johanna closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to compose herself and then said, "In order to use the stone to speak with other spirits, it is not that hard, but the messages that come through are usually garbled and no use at all in Alice and mines research. So I did a spell that allowed my soul to interact with the souls that we were calling upon. It worked. The only problem is that it has slowly been usurping my soul and with it, my ability to feel and convey emotions."

Katherine sighed in exasperation. "So that is why you act almost like an automation yourself then."

Johanna nodded her head at that moment and Amaretto almost felt bad for calling the woman a robot. However it was only very little. Even still, there was a small part of Amaretto which was still slightly annoyed at the whole situation.

"So then that means that if we don't get the stone back, you don't get your soul back?" Amaretto looked at Johanna curiously.

Alice frowned and then said, "It's worse than that. If we don't get the stone back, then she won't just loose her soul..."

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "What exactly do you mean?"

Alice frowned and then said, "It is because she gave a part of her soul over so that she can use the stone to talk with the spirits."

Katherine responded rather acidly, "Would these spirits be 'Winged Messengers of Hope'?" Amaretto could tell that her aunt was a little annoyed.

Johanna shook her head. "Not at all. They are merely white spirits amongst the ether. They tell us all about this world and the others that surround us."

Katherine looked to Amaretto and then said, "Sounds like Tempus to me."

Amaretto made an agitated face. "If it's him, I feel that he should be helping us a little more."

"Well he is working on it as best as he can," chided Katherine.

"Well I wish he would work on it faster," Amaretto said snidely.

Alice grimaced and then said, "We have to get that stone back. If we don't, it could get close to apocalyptic."

Amaretto closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She looked at the ring on her finger, as if waiting for it to do something. When it didn't chime, she sighed and looked resigned. Turning to her aunt she said, "We better get going before anything else happens."

Katherine just nodded her head grimly.

Grain...

Amaretto looked at her aunt with a panicked look for a moment and then a small chime was heard. There was a small crackle of static and then out of the ring itself, a small tinny voice could be heard.

"Hello? Yes? This is Tempus speaking; did you need something?"

Amaretto blinked at the ring and Katherine smiled slightly while raising an eyebrow. "So some of the things he makes does work," was all Katherine said in a small voice.

"Katherine? Is that you? I heard that!" Tempus' small voice sounded outraged.

Amaretto bit her lower lip. "He sounds a little like a chipmunk."

There was an exasperated sigh from the ring and then Tempus said, "Well, I can't help that he speaker for the ring is so small. If you actually tap the button on the base of the ring, I can talk directly into your head."

Amaretto's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the ring. "Are you serious? The ring is only a single pearl though! How did you hide the button?"

"Didn't I tell you that I am one of the masters of time and space? I may not be as good as La Sorcerre, but I do get some awesome toys to play with because of who I am."

Amaretto rolled her eyes and then said nothing else. Katherine however spoke in a quiet tone. "So we have reason to believe that the first coordinate stone that you have us looking for is actually in the hands of someone less than notorious. On top of that, the people who you have showing us around; they were the original owners."

Amaretto rolled her eyes. "She forgot to tell you that they are both totally crazy. One dresses like a girl half her age, and the other is a damn robot."

Katherine looked at the girl in shock. "Amaretto! Be careful of what you say about people!"

Amaretto looked at her aunt with a slight bit of disdain. "She totally is a robot! She has to be!"

Tempus' voice came from the ring. "A robot? In this dimension and current time period, there aren't supposed to be any real large automatons. Those aren't required for another two years. The professor who invents them is still in college."

Katherine's face blanched. "Excuse me?"

More exasperation came from the ring. "I mean that the professor who is supposed to invent the usages of automatons is not due to graduate for another year. He then is supposed to throw himself into his work and build the first working prototype 8 months after he graduates. Two weeks later he gets an investor from a dirigible company and they start making them to fly the airships across the world."

Amaretto looked at her aunt and then very quietly said, "Tempus, do you know anything about IronMen?"

"Iron Man? Isn't that a comic book from your dimension on Earth Secundus?"

Katherine's eyes widened and then she turned even whiter. "So there are not supposed to big mechanical men who police the streets?"

"What in the Eighty-one hells are you talking about woman?"

Amaretto brought the ring up to her mouth and then began to talk. "TherearethesebigmechanicalmenthatarecalledIronMenandtheyareeverywhereandtheyarecurrentlyhuntingusdownalongwiththepeoplethatyouhaveshowingusaroundbecausetheyaretraitors..."

A smack across the side of her chin stopped her from talking. Katherine looked into Amaretto's eyes and then said, "Slow down! I don't think Tempus is very fluent in freaked out teenager speak!"

Tempus responded in a wry voice, "Yes, thank you Katherine. You would be correct in that."

Amaretto frowned. "I'm sorry," she said as she rubber her jaw. "That kinda hurt."

Katherine made an apologetic face. "It wasn't meant to. Oh, I'm sorry little Ama, but if you start to freak out, then I will start to freak out." Katherine looked at the ring. "Tempus, what are we supposed to do here?"

There was a pause as they both looked expectantly at the ring before Tempus spoke again. "I'm going to have to set out some feelers and see what happened to this timeline. It really should have been straightforward. I will check and see what is going on and then I will get back to you."

Katherine snarled at the ring. "Don't you dare leave us here without any information Tempus! I know how to find you!"

"Sorry Katherine I will get back to you in a moment, I swear!"

"Tempus don't you dare..." began Katherine, but she was cut off by a a small chime coming from the ring. Katherine hissed at the ring with a dirty word.

Amaretto giggled. "Why I didn't know that you knew that word or said such things like that Aunt Katherine."

Katherine made a moue with her mouth. "I know all sorts of words, but I better never hear you say them."

Grain

Amaretto watched the cabbie as he continued to dig. It was like there was nothing left at all for him to do in this world. Pleasing her Aunt Katherine would be the only thing that was on his mind. Johanna and Alice had both stopped arguing and finally had come to stand next to Amaretto. Alice leaned in slightly to the girl and then said, "What is he doing?"

Amaretto sounded bored when she answered, "He's digging for my aunt to find the Stone."

Johanna nodded her head and then said, "The spot that I buried it under is actually on the other side and also is not that shallow a hole either. You didn't need him to dig for it."

Katherine shrugged. "He didn't know what to do with himself. So I gave him a task."

Alice cocked an eyebrow and then turned around and looked to Johanna. "So then is it there still?" Johanna shrugged her shoulders.

"I have not checked for it."

Katherine smiled and then pointed at the other section. "If you would be so kind then without the shovel good sir?"

The cabbie nodded and put the shovel down and then began to dig with his hands in the other spot that Johanna had initially pointed at. Within a few moments, there was a small hole next to the ruined rosebush, and there was a small box in the cabbies hands. Katherine smiled and walked over to the cabbie and then placed a hand on his shoulder as she took the box. "Why thank you god sir. I'll just take that from you, you just go rest now. You've done an amazing job."

The cabbie moved away and walked back to the cab and stood there as if in a daze. As he stood there, Katherine held the box to Alice and then smiled. "I believe you were looking for this?"

Alice narrowed her eyes and looked at Katherine. "How did you do that?"

Katherine smiled. "While you two were arguing, I used my feminine wiles to make sure the cabbie wanted to please me." At this Amaretto snorted and then covered her mouth as she tired not to laugh.

Johanna turned to Amaretto, but she didn't say anything. Alice shrugged her shoulders and looked at the box. it was rather non-descript, and had a rather easy clasp lock. Alice looked at it and then flipped it open. She stared at the inside of the box and then said, "There's nothing in here." All the other women looked at her with a small bit of confusion, except of course for Johanna.

"I do not understand," said Johanna. "I remember putting it in the box before we left. There can be only one way for it not to be in the box, and that is not possible." Johanna reached for the box and Alice shoved it into her hands with in impertinent sigh.

"Well, it is sitting right here, and the box is empty."

Amaretto looked over Johanna's shoulder as the tall woman opened the box. The inside was cushioned with velvet and the inside, though a beautiful shade of purple, was indeed empty. However, as she looked inside the box, she thought she saw something in the corner. "What's that?" She pointed to the corner of the box and hoped that everyone else could also see what it was that she was point in at.

Johanna looked at the side and actually furrowed her brow. "There is nothing there."

Amaretto blinked and rubbed her eyes and looked again. What she was in the corner of the box looked like a small spark of energy, almost like a miniature pulsating star of electric energy, much like the lines that appeared in those really bad mad scientist movies, only this one was about the size of a pea.

"It's right there," She said in a huff. "It's really bright too. How an you not see it?"

Alice came over and looked in the box and shook her head. "I see nothing there at all. There is nothing there."

Katherine slowly came over and narrowed her eyes and then frowned. "I see nothing there," she said and then looked at Amaretto. "Ama darling, if you could come over here please? I have some questions for you."

Amaretto looked peeved but moved forward to walk with her aunt to a partially secluded place along the side of the charred property. As soon as they were out of earshot of the other two she looked Amaretto dead in the eyes and said, "I saw it."

Amaretto blinked. "Wait you saw it? Why didn't you say so?"

Katherine pursed her lips. "Don't be surprised. Remember, I'm a fairy godmother. I can do all sorts of things." Amaretto snorted at this. Katherine frowned and then spoke. "Don't be impertinent. Do you still have the ring?"

Amaretto looked at the pearl ring that was on her finger. "It's right here. I don't think it's going anywhere." She looked at it with an almost dismalness in her eyes.

"Call Tempus." Katherine looked at Amaretto with a certainty in her eyes that made Amaretto shudder.

"Call Tempus? Why on earth would I do that?" The words came out of Amaretto's mouth like a ragged whisper. "How in the hell would he be able to help us?"

Katherine's eyes widened a little. "Language young lady! Just because we are traveling though dimensions and your mother isn't around does not mean that I will allow all of your morals to go flying into the ether! I still have to uphold your mother's teachings."

Amaretto rolled her eyes. "Fine, I will watch my language."

"And in the meantime, you will call Tempus and ask him what we should do."

Amaretto looked at the ring on her finger and then said, "How was this supposed to work again?"

Katherine frowned. "I believe you just twist it a quarter turn."

Amaretto shook her head once and then said, "A quarter turn it is." She then gave the ring a vicious turn to the right on her finger. There was a slight chime in the air that seemed to hug low to the ground. Amaretto looked around as silence followed after the chime.

"Nothing happened," Amaretto said huffily, "Wasn't something supposed to happen?"

Katherine quickly looked around and then shrugged her shoulders. "Something was supposed to happen."